Gold review – a boring experience from start to finish

‘A luckless prospector teams up with a geologist to hunt for gold in the depths of the Indonesian jungle.’

Loosely based on true events, Gold, directed by Steven Gaghan, tells the story of Kenny Wells (Matthew McConaughey), a down on his luck prospector during the late Eighties who’s desperate for a big break. Led by a dream, he seeks out rogue geologist, Michael Acosta (Édgar Ramírez) and together they dig deep in an Indonesian jungle in search of gold.

True to the rags-to-riches format, once unimaginable wealth is obtained it’s not long before the wolves come out wanting a piece of Wells, who also can be his own worst enemy. Unfortunately, Gaghan seems out of practice, as his last film was 2005’s Syriana, and with Gold he delivers an uninspiring story, with a mediocre and forgettable rise-to-power plot.

It’s a story we’ve seen play out before in numerous films like this, as we watch Wells’ go from hopeless businessman to biggest thing since slice bread, and watching all that power corrupt him and destroy his relationships, particularly with his long-term girlfriend, played by Bryce Dallas Howard. Gaghan also doesn’t handle the topic of modern gold mining very well, and there’s a lot of jargon and complex inside information thrown at the audience about the prospector industry, with nothing about that world to draw you in, no matter how hard the writers try to make the world of gold hunting look alluring.

That’s not the director’s main concern though, as the focus is more on the story of one man’s attempt to build something he can put his name to and be proud of. It’s basically a character study, a look at how money and material wealth isn’t always enough for some people, and how pride can be a very destructive force in life. Sadly, those themes aren’t explored or handled very well, and rests on a clichéd narrative structure that’s obvious and dull.

A lot rests on the actors to grab the audience’s attention and get them to care about the story. McConaughey is always watchable, but he struggles here and is quite underwhelming. With greasy hair, a bald patch, and a beer-belly to boot, you can’t deny he physically commits to the role, providing a real down-on-his-luck look, and ridding himself of those chiselled good looks he’s well known for.

He also drops that charming demeanour he has, adding to that desperate personality, but he overplays it, and what I guess is supposed to be a charismatic personality, feels more hammy and over the top. In contrast, Ramírez’s geologist is a far more stoic character and doesn’t bring anything particularly noteworthy to his role. When they’re together, they play off each other well, but that’s far and in between, and when they don’t share any screen time, the focus is squarely on Wells, which isn’t always a good thing.

Howard plays the typical girlfriend, who at first is seduced by the wealth and luxury, but then hates seeing what it’s doing to her man, as she slowly watches him become corrupted. It’s hardly an original formula for this kind of relationship and Howard tries her best, but clearly struggles to elevate her character to anything more than an archetype. The rest of the cast are regrettably underused as well, like Toby Kebbell’s FBI agent, who doesn’t get anything to do, or Corey Stoll’s investment banker, who’s barely in the film and feels purely there to be a soundboard for McConaughey’s antics.

Even the Eighties setting is rarely utilised, with Gaghan not making the most of this visually distinct period in history. Apart from the fact we’re told what year it is and no one has a smartphone out, there’s no overtly use of the fashion, or pop culture references, or even a distinct 80’s soundtrack, and as a result it, never feels like a period film, which could have at least added something to the viewing experience. Ultimately, that unique time in history feels unimportant to the director, and more like a burden to the story he wants to tell.

‘Gold is a very by-the-numbers film, with a story structure we’ve seen countless times before.’

Apart from McConaughey’s over-the-top performance and the novelty of seeing him shed his good looks. It doesn’t offer anything new to the rise-to-power genre making it a dry and lifeless experience from the start. You’ll be wishing for the credits all the way through.